Local Government

EASTPOINTE — The Eastpointe City Council has received proposed new logos for the city, and the overwhelming response from residents and officials has been that the existing one needs only minor changes.

According to City Manager Steve Duchane, the project to look into a new logo came through the city’s redevelopment-ready designation from the state and was not financed by the city itself. The city started taking input last fall, and the council discussed preliminary proposals at its regular meeting Jan. 19.

The Troy City Council took a long look between the stacks at the Troy Public Library Jan. 12 during a special study session.

“The purpose of the tour was to show the council what we have done and what building issues need to be done this year,” said Assistant Library Director Phillip Kwik.

Mayor Dane Slater said the best use of the Troy Civic Center, which includes the library, will be a topic the council, the Planning Commission, the Downtown Development Authority and city leaders will discuss at an upcoming retreat at the end of February.

ROYAL OAK — Members of the City Commission unanimously approved earlier this month an agreement with an independent firm to analyze forthcoming plans for a new City Hall complex.

Plante Moran Cresa will vet details when a new complex is proposed by a partnership between the Surnow Company and the Boji Group — a partnership granted the exclusive opportunity to research and pitch a redevelopment plan for a new City Hall complex at the existing complex’s downtown location. The commission approved up to $30,000 Jan. 11 for the Plante Moran Cresa analysis.

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Facing changes to dozens of sections of the zoning ordinance, City Council instead tabled the matter, with the mayor creating a new committee to go through the changes and make recommendations to council.

“I don’t think the public has had adequate notice about a lot of the changes on here today,” Councilman Chris Vitale said.

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Meant to speed up problems getting to city administrators’ attention, the “Report a Concern” button on scsmi.net has instead sometimes caused more consternation to residents than the original problem they were trying to report.

But with investigation into the problem by the city’s new assistant city manager, Bill Gambill, St. Clair Shores hopes that will become a thing of the past.

FERNDALE — With an ever-growing downtown district, the Ferndale City Council approved a liquor license for the Rust Belt Market, 22801 Woodward Ave., in hopes of contributing to the growth of a business that cultivates other business owners in the area.

The Rust Belt Market, which has been open for nearly five years at the corner of Woodward and West Nine Mile Road, is home to about 50 businesses who use the space to set up shop and sell their products, from pictures to jewelry and food.

MADISON HEIGHTS — It hasn’t been put up for a vote, but there is talk on the Madison Heights City Council of implementing tighter security at council meetings.

Mayor Brian Hartwell said he is against it, but feels he is in the minority. He worries that screening attendees would alienate them from attending public meetings. He also feels the extra security is an extreme reaction to nonexistent threats, and wholly unnecessary.

FERNDALE — The city of Ferndale has a new parental leave program that will allow both men and women to take up to 12 weeks of time off with full pay.

The new benefit came before the City Council during the Jan. 11 meeting. Councilwoman Melanie Piana, who pushed for the new benefit, said it would not only help the city recruit the best employees, but retain them when the time comes for them to become parents.

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Weeks after Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation eliminating straight-ticket voting, local clerks and lawmakers say they hope the state is prepared for the consequences.

St. Clair Shores City Clerk Mary Kotowski said that Michigan has one of the longest ballots in the country on even-year elections, which can include votes for the president, U.S. senators and Congress representatives, boards of education, state lawmakers and more.

FERNDALE — Pleasant Ridge resident and Ferndale School District parent Jackie Hart was named the newest Ferndale Board of Education trustee Jan. 4 after a selection process following the departure of former Trustee Raylon Leaks-May.

Leaks-May was elected in November to the Ferndale City Council, and despite state law allowing her to serve on both the council and school board, she stepped down at the end of 2015.

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Continuing a trend extending back more than a decade, City Council unanimously rejected a proposed raise from the Compensation Commission at the Jan. 4 City Council meeting.

Reflecting that “most of us don’t sit here for the money,” council members once again rejected a proposed 2.5 percent increase in compensation from the commission, which meets at the end of odd years to decide recommendations for council salaries for the following two years.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP/HARRISON TOWNSHIP/MACOMB TOWNSHIP — L’Anse Creuse Public Schools will be asking voters to renew a decades-old nonhomestead millage during the presidential primary in March.

According to Superintendent Jackie Johnston, the millage will not raise the taxes for the average homeowner. Locally, the non-homestead millage is an existing 18 mills levy on second homes, including vacation homes and rental homes, as well as on commercial and agricultural property.